Week 5 Fantasy Football Sneaky Starts & Sleepers

Oct 01, 2025

Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images

All but the luckiest fantasy owners at some point need to find the proverbial diamond in the rough—a waiver wire or bench player capable of putting up some points in a pinch. This weekly feature is dedicated to that part of fantasy football. It's not pretty, but it's part of the game.

As of Week 4, we are now using 2025 data for our Hot Spots reports and aFPA rankings! It will continue to update as the season progresses and we’ll start using a rolling 10-week window in Week 12. Remember, the higher the number, the better the matchup.

Last week, we did enjoy several productive Sneaky Starts, including Jordan Love (QB5), Bo Nix (QB6), Omarion Hampton (RB7), Quinshon Judkins (RB11), Kenneth Gainwell (RB3), George Pickens (WR2), Quentin Johnston (WR7), Michael Pittman (WR22), Hunter Henry (TE8), and Dalton Kincaid (TE12).

Let’s see who’s popping this week.

Quarterbacks

Justin Fields, Jets (vs. DAL, 32)

Justin Fields has been electric in his two full, healthy outings, scoring 29.5 and 27.1 fantasy points. His Week 2 dud (4.0 points) came in a game where he exited early with a concussion after playing 61% of the snaps, so there is some downside built in. The matchup sets up beautifully—Dallas ranks dead last in QB aFPA, giving up an average of 27.5 fantasy points per game to opposing passers. Fields’ dual-threat ability paired with this soft matchup makes him a high-upside QB1 for Week 5.

Jared Goff, Lions (@ CIN, 31)

Outside of his 334-yard, 5-TD explosion against the Bears, Jared Goff hasn’t topped 12.7 fantasy points in his other three games. Week 5 offers a chance to bounce back, as the Bengals have allowed 272 passing yards and 2.0 touchdowns per game to opposing quarterbacks. The only concern is game script—if Detroit controls the matchup on the ground and Cincinnati can’t keep pace, Goff’s volume could be limited. Still, with the Lions’ offense capable of piling on points, Goff is a viable streaming QB play this week.